The Black Dahlia Murder at Stage 48

Trevor Strnad

The Black Dahlia Murder formed as a death metal band in 2001 in Waterford, Michigan. The band's name was derived from the still-unsolved 1947 murder of actress Elizabeth Short, often referred to as Black Dahlia. The band currently comprises two original members, vocalist Trevor Strnad and rhythm guitarist Brian Eschbach, plus bassist Max Lavelle, drummer Alan Cassidy, and new lead guitarist Brandon Ellis. The Black Dahlia Murder's eighth and most recent  album, Nightbringers, was released on October 6, 2017.

For this co-headlining tour with Whitechapel, which stopped at Stage 48 tonight, the Black Dahlia Murder promised to play Nightbringers in its entirety. This was a bold announcement, in that such a move is usually reserved for a classic album rather than a new collection, and in that using most of the set time for one album precludes a "greatest hits" retrospective. Indeed, the Black Dahlia Murder played the nine new tracks plus four songs from the first three albums. Nevertheless, perhaps it did not matter what songs the band performed, as they were all performed the same way, with a brutal impact that made faces in the audience feel like punching bags. For most of the set, the speedy, thrusting music sound like perpetual thunder, with Strnad's coarse vocals and Ellis' searing guitar leads penetrating through the din. The growled and garbled lyrics were as violent as the jackhammer music. The Black Dahlia Murder remains the poster band for extreme metal music.

Visit the Black Dahlia Murder at www.tbdmofficial.com.

Setlist:

1. Widowmaker
2. Of God and Serpent, of Spectre and Snake
3. Contagion
4. Matriarch
5. Nightbringers
6. Jars
7. Kings of the Nightworld
8. What a Horrible Night to Have a Curse
9. Catacomb Hecatomb
10. As Good as Dead
11. The Lonely Deceased
12. Everything Went Black
13. Statutory Ape
14. Deathmask Divine